ScottSchmidt
Well Known Member
Cheers! I hope it was a great year for you and your family. We will miss those we lost, are thankful for the new additions and look forward to more adventures and memories in the near future.
Here’s to 2016 and hope 2017 is even better!
It has been a great year flying the RV-10. We have had some great trips, used it for quick getaways and fun flights around Utah. My two most memorable flights of the year just happened a month ago when Anna (6.75 yrs) and Emily (5.3 yrs) took to the front seat for some stick time, we will get to that later.
I decided to do one 2016 trip report to summarize the year and share some pictures. This year we went back to the places we really like, Baja Mexico, Lake Powell, Oshkosh, Johnson and Smiley Creek, Tucson and just some local flying. Anna and Emily are now getting old enough to really enjoy some of our most memorable trips we have had in the -10.
Traveling can be tiring, and all the prep, maintenance and cleanup sometimes seems overwhelming. My wife and I ask each other from time to time if all the "work" is worth it. Our answer was yes this year and I hope it is for many years to go. She is a trooper and is an expert planner, packer and co-pilot. Could not do anything like this without her and I can't imagine going the places we do in the plane (or boat) not knowing all the systems, like most of us do, when (not if) something breaks or fails. It is the main reason I do all my own maintenance.
Cameras - This year I bought a new Canon G7X point and shoot camera after the trip to Mexico. So most of the Cabo trip is with my Canon 5D and then almost everything else is either the G7X or iPhone. The 5D still takes better pictures but the point and shoots are getting close. The G7X has a 1" sensor and I believe is the same sensor used in the Sony RX100 line which are also amazing cameras. Pretty soon we will have 1" sensors in our phones.
Cabo in February
The past few years we have flown commercial to Puerto Vallarta for a winter break but this year decided to try Cabo and invite my whole family. We flew to Cabo in 2011 and rented a house in Los Barillies and in 2010 I did a guy trip but this was the first trip with RaNae, Anna and Emily down the Baja to stop at Alfonsinas and see the whales.
Here are the two previous trips.
Baja, Mexico - February 2010
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=54561
Cabo San Lucas/Los Barriles Baja RV Trip - April 2011
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=72000
We went out to the hangar a few days before leaving to get the plane ready for the trip. The girls cleaned while I packed. I know....plexi-glass cleaner on the wing, oh well.
For the first part of the trip, we would be traveling with two other planes, another RV-10 (Sean and Hollie Strasberg +2) and a Baron (Gar, Spook and kids). They left before us and headed to Phoenix Wednesday morning and we left after work and headed to Yuma for the night. The plan was to meet up at San Felipe Thursday morning for customs. There were three more planes coming down from our airport (KBTF) Thursday, they would land a few hours after we did.
We had a monster head wind to Yuma but it was pretty smooth. The next day we planned our arrival time at San Felipe.
Kids before our departure from Yuma. (it is not always loves and hugs)
Our group (Mulege) They are all really fun to fly and hang out with. Never a dull moment.
The only thing that has changed since our last trip down the Baja is that Mexico now requires an eAPIS form. There are some good articles on AOPA about this. You simply fill out an Excel spreadsheet, e-mail it to them and wait for their response. Everything went as planned there.
First stop after San Felipe was Alfonsinas. When we landed at San Felipe, did all the usual paperwork and they were very nice. It takes about an hour with no one in front of you. One hiccup, they did not let us file for Alfonsinas and told us it was still closed. Luckily another airplane from our airport who has done this many many times told us they always say that and you just tell them another airport and go to Alfonsinas. Sooooooo........I learned something from a leadership coach early on in my career during some training that I use quite often flying. Worry once, plan your response and forget about it.
Fine, possible jail time, worse????......OK, lets do this!
Good to be back to Alfonsinas
Flew down the runway to check for soft spots. I read on the Baja forum there could be a soft spot around the middle of the runway. We stayed to the right and it was solid.
The authorities pulled up with smiles, checked our paperwork and left. They were very nice. Nothing to worry about.
The Baron had to land at Rancho Grande Airstrip which is just a couple of miles away, our planes were 40 ft. from the hotel. There were quite a few Americans who drove down to Alfonsinas from the US, came out and watched us land. They thought it was really amazing and were very fun people.
The hotel at Alfonsinas during the flyby.
Here’s to 2016 and hope 2017 is even better!
It has been a great year flying the RV-10. We have had some great trips, used it for quick getaways and fun flights around Utah. My two most memorable flights of the year just happened a month ago when Anna (6.75 yrs) and Emily (5.3 yrs) took to the front seat for some stick time, we will get to that later.
I decided to do one 2016 trip report to summarize the year and share some pictures. This year we went back to the places we really like, Baja Mexico, Lake Powell, Oshkosh, Johnson and Smiley Creek, Tucson and just some local flying. Anna and Emily are now getting old enough to really enjoy some of our most memorable trips we have had in the -10.
Traveling can be tiring, and all the prep, maintenance and cleanup sometimes seems overwhelming. My wife and I ask each other from time to time if all the "work" is worth it. Our answer was yes this year and I hope it is for many years to go. She is a trooper and is an expert planner, packer and co-pilot. Could not do anything like this without her and I can't imagine going the places we do in the plane (or boat) not knowing all the systems, like most of us do, when (not if) something breaks or fails. It is the main reason I do all my own maintenance.
Cameras - This year I bought a new Canon G7X point and shoot camera after the trip to Mexico. So most of the Cabo trip is with my Canon 5D and then almost everything else is either the G7X or iPhone. The 5D still takes better pictures but the point and shoots are getting close. The G7X has a 1" sensor and I believe is the same sensor used in the Sony RX100 line which are also amazing cameras. Pretty soon we will have 1" sensors in our phones.
Cabo in February
The past few years we have flown commercial to Puerto Vallarta for a winter break but this year decided to try Cabo and invite my whole family. We flew to Cabo in 2011 and rented a house in Los Barillies and in 2010 I did a guy trip but this was the first trip with RaNae, Anna and Emily down the Baja to stop at Alfonsinas and see the whales.
Here are the two previous trips.
Baja, Mexico - February 2010
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=54561
Cabo San Lucas/Los Barriles Baja RV Trip - April 2011
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=72000
We went out to the hangar a few days before leaving to get the plane ready for the trip. The girls cleaned while I packed. I know....plexi-glass cleaner on the wing, oh well.
For the first part of the trip, we would be traveling with two other planes, another RV-10 (Sean and Hollie Strasberg +2) and a Baron (Gar, Spook and kids). They left before us and headed to Phoenix Wednesday morning and we left after work and headed to Yuma for the night. The plan was to meet up at San Felipe Thursday morning for customs. There were three more planes coming down from our airport (KBTF) Thursday, they would land a few hours after we did.
We had a monster head wind to Yuma but it was pretty smooth. The next day we planned our arrival time at San Felipe.
Kids before our departure from Yuma. (it is not always loves and hugs)
Our group (Mulege) They are all really fun to fly and hang out with. Never a dull moment.
The only thing that has changed since our last trip down the Baja is that Mexico now requires an eAPIS form. There are some good articles on AOPA about this. You simply fill out an Excel spreadsheet, e-mail it to them and wait for their response. Everything went as planned there.
First stop after San Felipe was Alfonsinas. When we landed at San Felipe, did all the usual paperwork and they were very nice. It takes about an hour with no one in front of you. One hiccup, they did not let us file for Alfonsinas and told us it was still closed. Luckily another airplane from our airport who has done this many many times told us they always say that and you just tell them another airport and go to Alfonsinas. Sooooooo........I learned something from a leadership coach early on in my career during some training that I use quite often flying. Worry once, plan your response and forget about it.
Fine, possible jail time, worse????......OK, lets do this!
Good to be back to Alfonsinas
Flew down the runway to check for soft spots. I read on the Baja forum there could be a soft spot around the middle of the runway. We stayed to the right and it was solid.
The authorities pulled up with smiles, checked our paperwork and left. They were very nice. Nothing to worry about.
The Baron had to land at Rancho Grande Airstrip which is just a couple of miles away, our planes were 40 ft. from the hotel. There were quite a few Americans who drove down to Alfonsinas from the US, came out and watched us land. They thought it was really amazing and were very fun people.
The hotel at Alfonsinas during the flyby.
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